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The headsets are pretty cool - I’ve played with all of them except for the Valve Index. Though there’s something unpleasant about them that keeps me from going

The headsets are pretty cool - I’ve played with all of them except for the Valve Index. Though there’s something unpleasant about them that keeps me from going back when the novelty wears off. I think it might be because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. I’m not sure this is something it can really overcome. I think an AR overlay of our actual world is more likely to be the next real platform (assuming the hardware is possible to pull off something like this). Being in VR is just kind of an unpleasant/isolating experience for me and I’m a pretty early adopter of most things. In other people I’ve mostly seen a small number of games (mostly beat saber) keep people coming back, but I haven’t seen most people keep using it once the novelty wears off outside of that. I think there are probably some narrow applications where it’s clearly better than not having it, but I’m skeptical of VR as a platform. Maybe when the hardware is 10x better/lighter it’ll be a difference experience? We are pretty early on in the medium, movies and tv were pretty bad for the first fifty years. It might just take a while for people to figure out how to use VR well.

noir_lord 6y ago
> I think it might be because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. Project Cars 2 and DCS make it worth the headset alone - throw in Elite Dangerous and No Man Sky and I have enough VR entertainment to keep me busy for the foreseeable.
- StavrosK 6y ago
  For some reason, Elite Dangerous throws the graphics into low for me, no matter what settings I have. On the computer it looks great, whenever I put it on the Quest 2 it looks horribly pixelly. Even so, it's incredibly immersive, and if that problem gets fixed it's going to be amazing.
  - vrthrowaway2020 6y ago
    This review of E:D sold me on both the game and VR https://youtu.be/Fa0b2Kd2xhU https://youtu.be/Fa0b2Kd2xhU
- shostack 6y ago
  I'm dying for gaming PC parts to become more available to build a new rig. I hacked together my OG Pixel XL to play E:D on my current potato via the Daydream headset and Riftcat and got to enjoy a very pixelated experience for all of 10 min before my phone rebooted so it wouldn't melt. It was still night and day. How are both those games with the Quest 2? Those two are my primary interested for VR but I worry about the resolution, frame rate, and controls with my motion sickness.
  - croon 6y ago
    As a Quest owner, and previous Vive owner, if you can get over the Facebook thing, I would 100% buy the Quest 2 over anything else. The Index might be better, but it costs 2-3x more, and only works on PC, and needs the lighthouses. The hassle you skip with inside-out tracking is worth it on it's own, and the Quest games are honestly pretty good, and I haven't had any issues with Link to PC. Great for PC VR, great for taking with you to family/friends for fun demos (post-covid). I strongly dislike the forced Facebook integration, but it's hard to contest that Oculus Quest (and likely 2) is a fantastic product.
  - noir_lord 6y ago
    Currently use a Rift S but I have two Oculus Quests on the way one for the boy and one for me (it was originally just one for him but then amazon/hermes dropped me in the shit so I went and bought one for him so I'd have it for xmas and am still waiting for the other to turn up at some point). In the Rift S on a 2080 it's jaw dropping, I'm hoping the 50% res boost on the Quest 2 will make it more so. I also have a T16000M on the way because of the limitations of VR is you can't see the keyboard so I need more buttons to map everything plus it's a full HOTAS so will work great for DCS.
seanmcdirmid 6y ago
> I think there are probably some narrow applications where it’s clearly better than not having it, but I’m skeptical of VR as a platform. Fitness. It is much easier to grind in a VR game for an hour than it is to grind on a treadmill for the same amount of time. I have a Quest, the games suck, but the fitness experience is paradigm changing. Beat Saber was and still is the Quest's killer app, but there are lot of similar games that keep the experience somewhat fresh (not to mention new beat saber music packs, I also use FitXR more than Beat Saber). I bought my Quest back in May 2019, it died around June 2020, but I was already using it a couple of hours a day by then so had to get a new one from a scalper (during the Pandemic, Quest units were hard to get). I really don't want to go back to life without it.
- bigyikes 6y ago
  Be sure to mod and side load custom Beat Saber tracks if you haven’t already. Dancing (sabering?) to songs you actually know makes the whole thing way more fun.
- billti 6y ago
  Yeah, I used to struggle to get a work-out in most days. When I'm not feeling it, I play Thrill of the Fight on my Quest (boxing game - I'm a casual boxing fan). It's the most I sweat out of any workout, and I can go for 45 without getting bored (unlike the rower or going for a run). I actually got the Quest 2 when it came out, but being as the Quest 1 plays that game fine, and I figure I'll ruin it by sweating into it so much, I hardly use my Quest 2 at this point. Untethered is the future, and once they get lighter and more comfortable they'll be killer devices. I do find the complete shut-off from the real world a little unpleasant, and especially fumbling around for controllers now and again when the unit is on my face. But otherwise, I've gone from skeptic to fan for VR. (And I do think longer term AR is where it will really take off).
  - augstein 6y ago
    This exactly. I‘ve had a Quest 1 and loved most of it, except that for me, it was extremely uncomfortable and even left marks in my face after a while. So I sold it before the Quest 2 was released. For me a VR headset needs to be at most half the weight of a Quest 1 (~0.5kg) to consider it for now. And a bigger FOV would also be nice :-)
lqet 6y ago
> I think it might be because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. Could this be because of the missing resistance while moving / throwing / touching VR objects?
- fossuser 6y ago
  It's more about movement across space. VR tries a few tricks for this, teleportation, tunnel vision, etc. but ultimately if you're doing movement like you would in a normal FPS/RPG style game where your character is walking and you are not it's unpleasant. You can get used to it, but I still prefer just sitting and playing on a couch with a TV. The VR controls are still a little clunky though and better haptics would definitely help, but that's not most of the issue.
chaostheory 6y ago
> I think it might be because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. I'm the exact opposite. I enjoy that a lot more. It's more immersive, and I've already lost about 15 lbs just playing VR. imo it's a fitness machine disguised as a video game peripheral
farias0 6y ago
Hypothesis: The reason having to stand up (or more generally put physical effort) on games turns you off is because you're looking for a different thing in games, probably just turning off your brain. The appeal, unarguably I believe, is in being immersed in the fantasy, which I think is a different kind of appeal from what you seek. I actively dislike "abnegation" type games, but the idea of being transported to somewhere else, exploring different realities, amazes me (I'm dying to try Myst on VR), and putting physical effort on it adds to the fantasy. So maybe VR isn't for you, simple as that. I've seem lots of people (online, yes, but still) keep coming back for Pavlov, Population One, Half-Life Alyx, Star Wars Squadron, VR Chat... I really think there's something there.
wruza 6y ago
>because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. This is what stops me from buying VR. I don’t want a new form of gaming(r)(tm), I just need 3D display and my chair, kbd & mouse to play my regular AAA games as-is, but with depth perception and appropriate fov. Instead they suggest you to stand and waive your arms in few pretty average if not crappy games. Also, finding a VR-enabled game that will actually work with your headset is not as easy as one may think.
rubicon33 6y ago
Long time PC gamer, DK1, DK2, CV1, Index, Quest 1, and Quest 2 owner here. I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree. When I first got into VR back in 2013 it was cool for a minute, then the novelty wore off. I dabbled with it over the years, but it never stuck. I felt like you do. 2016 the CV1 came out and I was briefly reunited with a strong interest in VR which, eventually, faded. The next few years I didn't play much, and when I did, it wasn't for very long. The problem was entirely CONTENT and it is FINALLY in 2020 starting to come around. We have seen some absolutely excellent AAA games released that are loads of fun and not just glorified tech demos (though to be sure, those still exist). - POPULATION:ONE - Metal of Honor: Above and Beyond - Half Life: Alyx - Asgard's Wrath Any many more. I'm finally finding myself using my VR headsets DAILY. In fact my Oculus CV1 which came out 4 years ago is still my all around favorite! I think as content improves (especially multiplayer content) and the headsets get more comfortable and easy to put on / take off, we will hopefully see continued expansion of this medium. It's THE way to game, if you ask me. Nothing is more engaging then jumping off a building, spreading my arms to fly, then pulling them together to grip my gun and land a quick snipe on someone in mid air. Keyboard and mouse can suck it.

noir_lord 6y ago

> I think it might be because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. Project Cars 2 and DCS make it worth the headset alone - throw in Elite Dangerous and No Man Sky and I have enough VR entertainment to keep me busy for the foreseeable.

StavrosK 6y ago
For some reason, Elite Dangerous throws the graphics into low for me, no matter what settings I have. On the computer it looks great, whenever I put it on the Quest 2 it looks horribly pixelly. Even so, it's incredibly immersive, and if that problem gets fixed it's going to be amazing.
- vrthrowaway2020 6y ago
  This review of E:D sold me on both the game and VR https://youtu.be/Fa0b2Kd2xhU https://youtu.be/Fa0b2Kd2xhU
shostack 6y ago
I'm dying for gaming PC parts to become more available to build a new rig. I hacked together my OG Pixel XL to play E:D on my current potato via the Daydream headset and Riftcat and got to enjoy a very pixelated experience for all of 10 min before my phone rebooted so it wouldn't melt. It was still night and day. How are both those games with the Quest 2? Those two are my primary interested for VR but I worry about the resolution, frame rate, and controls with my motion sickness.
- croon 6y ago
  As a Quest owner, and previous Vive owner, if you can get over the Facebook thing, I would 100% buy the Quest 2 over anything else. The Index might be better, but it costs 2-3x more, and only works on PC, and needs the lighthouses. The hassle you skip with inside-out tracking is worth it on it's own, and the Quest games are honestly pretty good, and I haven't had any issues with Link to PC. Great for PC VR, great for taking with you to family/friends for fun demos (post-covid). I strongly dislike the forced Facebook integration, but it's hard to contest that Oculus Quest (and likely 2) is a fantastic product.
- noir_lord 6y ago
  Currently use a Rift S but I have two Oculus Quests on the way one for the boy and one for me (it was originally just one for him but then amazon/hermes dropped me in the shit so I went and bought one for him so I'd have it for xmas and am still waiting for the other to turn up at some point). In the Rift S on a 2080 it's jaw dropping, I'm hoping the 50% res boost on the Quest 2 will make it more so. I also have a T16000M on the way because of the limitations of VR is you can't see the keyboard so I need more buttons to map everything plus it's a full HOTAS so will work great for DCS.

seanmcdirmid 6y ago

> I think there are probably some narrow applications where it’s clearly better than not having it, but I’m skeptical of VR as a platform. Fitness. It is much easier to grind in a VR game for an hour than it is to grind on a treadmill for the same amount of time. I have a Quest, the games suck, but the fitness experience is paradigm changing. Beat Saber was and still is the Quest's killer app, but there are lot of similar games that keep the experience somewhat fresh (not to mention new beat saber music packs, I also use FitXR more than Beat Saber). I bought my Quest back in May 2019, it died around June 2020, but I was already using it a couple of hours a day by then so had to get a new one from a scalper (during the Pandemic, Quest units were hard to get). I really don't want to go back to life without it.

bigyikes 6y ago
Be sure to mod and side load custom Beat Saber tracks if you haven’t already. Dancing (sabering?) to songs you actually know makes the whole thing way more fun.
billti 6y ago
Yeah, I used to struggle to get a work-out in most days. When I'm not feeling it, I play Thrill of the Fight on my Quest (boxing game - I'm a casual boxing fan). It's the most I sweat out of any workout, and I can go for 45 without getting bored (unlike the rower or going for a run). I actually got the Quest 2 when it came out, but being as the Quest 1 plays that game fine, and I figure I'll ruin it by sweating into it so much, I hardly use my Quest 2 at this point. Untethered is the future, and once they get lighter and more comfortable they'll be killer devices. I do find the complete shut-off from the real world a little unpleasant, and especially fumbling around for controllers now and again when the unit is on my face. But otherwise, I've gone from skeptic to fan for VR. (And I do think longer term AR is where it will really take off).
- augstein 6y ago
  This exactly. I‘ve had a Quest 1 and loved most of it, except that for me, it was extremely uncomfortable and even left marks in my face after a while. So I sold it before the Quest 2 was released. For me a VR headset needs to be at most half the weight of a Quest 1 (~0.5kg) to consider it for now. And a bigger FOV would also be nice :-)

lqet 6y ago

> I think it might be because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. Could this be because of the missing resistance while moving / throwing / touching VR objects?

fossuser 6y ago
It's more about movement across space. VR tries a few tricks for this, teleportation, tunnel vision, etc. but ultimately if you're doing movement like you would in a normal FPS/RPG style game where your character is walking and you are not it's unpleasant. You can get used to it, but I still prefer just sitting and playing on a couch with a TV. The VR controls are still a little clunky though and better haptics would definitely help, but that's not most of the issue.

chaostheory 6y ago

> I think it might be because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. I'm the exact opposite. I enjoy that a lot more. It's more immersive, and I've already lost about 15 lbs just playing VR. imo it's a fitness machine disguised as a video game peripheral

farias0 6y ago

Hypothesis: The reason having to stand up (or more generally put physical effort) on games turns you off is because you're looking for a different thing in games, probably just turning off your brain. The appeal, unarguably I believe, is in being immersed in the fantasy, which I think is a different kind of appeal from what you seek. I actively dislike "abnegation" type games, but the idea of being transported to somewhere else, exploring different realities, amazes me (I'm dying to try Myst on VR), and putting physical effort on it adds to the fantasy. So maybe VR isn't for you, simple as that. I've seem lots of people (online, yes, but still) keep coming back for Pavlov, Population One, Half-Life Alyx, Star Wars Squadron, VR Chat... I really think there's something there.

wruza 6y ago

>because I don’t want to be standing and moving around when playing a game and if you’re not doing that, the motion is kind of unpleasant. This is what stops me from buying VR. I don’t want a new form of gaming(r)(tm), I just need 3D display and my chair, kbd & mouse to play my regular AAA games as-is, but with depth perception and appropriate fov. Instead they suggest you to stand and waive your arms in few pretty average if not crappy games. Also, finding a VR-enabled game that will actually work with your headset is not as easy as one may think.

rubicon33 6y ago

Long time PC gamer, DK1, DK2, CV1, Index, Quest 1, and Quest 2 owner here. I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree. When I first got into VR back in 2013 it was cool for a minute, then the novelty wore off. I dabbled with it over the years, but it never stuck. I felt like you do. 2016 the CV1 came out and I was briefly reunited with a strong interest in VR which, eventually, faded. The next few years I didn't play much, and when I did, it wasn't for very long. The problem was entirely CONTENT and it is FINALLY in 2020 starting to come around. We have seen some absolutely excellent AAA games released that are loads of fun and not just glorified tech demos (though to be sure, those still exist). - POPULATION:ONE - Metal of Honor: Above and Beyond - Half Life: Alyx - Asgard's Wrath Any many more. I'm finally finding myself using my VR headsets DAILY. In fact my Oculus CV1 which came out 4 years ago is still my all around favorite! I think as content improves (especially multiplayer content) and the headsets get more comfortable and easy to put on / take off, we will hopefully see continued expansion of this medium. It's THE way to game, if you ask me. Nothing is more engaging then jumping off a building, spreading my arms to fly, then pulling them together to grip my gun and land a quick snipe on someone in mid air. Keyboard and mouse can suck it.